Irfon Valley C.P. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

This is a caring and nurturing small school that knows its pupils well.

Pupils feel safe and happy at the school. They behave well in lessons and around the school and respect their teachers and peers. Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning and, as a result, they make strong progress in most lessons.

Staff care for each pupil as an individual and support them all to make progress and achieve. Teachers provide engaging activities for their pupils that interest them, including a wealth of trips and visitors in school. Teachers have built the school's curriculum around a series of interesting topics, but the coverage of a few areas is not thorough enough, for example in music, science and aspects of personal and soci...al education.

Over time, most pupils make steady and on occasions rapid progress in developing the skills they need to read, speak and listen effectively in English, and begin to communicate in Welsh. They make effective progress in their digital skills and mathematics and use and apply their skills well in their work across the curriculum. Most make suitable progress in learning how to write, for example in developing their spelling, punctuation and grammar.

However, there are limited opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in writing creative and imaginative extended pieces such as stories. The executive headteacher provides supportive leadership. Together with other leaders, she makes appropriate plans for ongoing improvement.

Leaders monitor the school's work rigorously and identify swiftly wherever pupils' progress is at risk of stalling. The few staff work very well together to create the inclusive ethos that pervades all aspects of school life. There are beneficial relationships with parents that help to support pupils' achievements.

The school has made notable improvements since the last inspection. Inspectors worked with school leaders to recommend improvements to the school's governance, to strengthen the governors' role as a critical friend. Recommendations R1 Address the health and safety issue identified by the school R2 Ensure that the curriculum is broad and balanced, and that it meets pupils' needs R3 Provide regular opportunities for all pupils to write creatively, at length, across a broad range of genres R4 Strengthen the governance of the school, to ensure that the governing body fulfils the statutory requirements and develops its role as a critical friend What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.